1979 United Kingdom local elections

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United Kingdom local elections
← 1978 3 May 1979 1980 →
All 36 metropolitan boroughs, all 296 English districts and all 37 Welsh districts
  Majority party Minority party Third party
  Margaret Thatcher (1983).jpg James Callaghan ppmsca.53218 (cropped).tif
Leader Margaret Thatcher James Callaghan David Steel
Party Conservative Labour Liberal
Leader since 11 February 1975 5 April 1976 7 July 1976
Councils +/- Decrease 6 Increase 12 Increase 1
Councillors 12,222 7,410 1,059
Councillors +/- Decrease 423 Increase 766 Increase 136

Local elections were held in the United Kingdom on 3 May 1979[1][2] (the same day as the general election). The results provided some source of comfort to the Labour Party, who recovered some lost ground from local election reversals in previous years, despite losing the general election to the Conservative Party on the same day. The Liberals also gained councillors and a council.

Labour gained 766 seats, bringing their number of councillors to 7,410.

The Conservatives lost 423 seats, leaving them with 12,222 councillors.

The Liberal Party gained 136 seats and finished with 1,059 councillors.

Changes in council control were as follows;

Labour gain from no overall control: Bassetlaw, Carlisle, Hartlepool, Newcastle-under-Lyme, South Tyneside

Labour gain from Conservative: Barrow-in-Furness, Coventry, Derby, Ipswich, Nottingham, Sandwell, Tameside, Welwyn Hatfield

Labour lose to no overall control: Thurrock

Conservative lose to no overall control: Birmingham, Cambridge, Cheltenham, Kirklees, Leeds, Pendle, Rochdale, Rugby, Warrington, Wyre Forest

Conservative gain from no overall control: Adur, Stratford-on-Avon

Conservative gain from Independent: Hart

Conservative gain from Democratic Labour: Lincoln

Liberal gain from no overall control: Medina

Independent lose to no overall control: South Lakeland, West Lindsey

Summary of results[]

England[]

Metropolitan boroughs[]

Whole council[]

In 6 metropolitan boroughs the whole council was up for election.

In 6 boroughs there were new ward boundaries, following electoral boundary reviews by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England.

Council Previous control Result Details
Barnsley ‡ Labour Labour hold Details
Bury ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Oldham ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Sandwell ‡ Conservative Labour gain
Sefton ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Solihull ‡ Conservative Conservative hold

‡ New ward boundaries

Third of council[]

30 metropolitan borough councils had one third of their seats up for election.

Council Previous control Result Details
Birmingham Conservative No overall control gain
Bolton Conservative Conservative hold Details
Bradford Conservative Conservative hold Details
Calderdale Conservative Conservative hold
Coventry Conservative Labour gain
Doncaster Labour Labour hold
Dudley Conservative Conservative hold
Gateshead Labour Labour hold
Kirklees Conservative No overall control gain
Knowsley Labour Labour hold
Leeds Conservative No overall control gain Details
Liverpool No overall control No overall control hold Details
Manchester Labour Labour hold Details
Newcastle upon Tyne Labour Labour hold
North Tyneside Labour Labour hold
Rochdale Conservative No overall control gain
Rotherham Labour Labour hold
Salford Labour Labour hold
Sheffield Labour Labour hold Details
South Tyneside No overall control Labour gain
St Helens Labour Labour hold
Stockport Conservative Conservative hold
Sunderland Labour Labour hold
Tameside Conservative Labour gain
Trafford Conservative Conservative hold Details
Wakefield Labour Labour hold
Walsall No overall control No overall control hold
Wigan Labour Labour hold Details
Wirral Conservative Conservative hold Details
Wolverhampton No overall control No overall control hold Details

District councils[]

Whole council[]

In 252 districts the whole council was up for election.

In 153 districts there were new ward boundaries, following electoral boundary reviews by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England.

Council Previous control Result Details
Adur ‡ No overall control Conservative gain Details
Allerdale ‡ No overall control No overall control hold
Alnwick ‡ Independent No overall control gain
Amber Valley ‡ No overall control No overall control hold
Arun Conservative Conservative hold
Ashfield Labour Labour hold
Ashford Conservative No overall control gain
Aylesbury Vale No overall control Conservative gain
Babergh ‡ No overall control No overall control hold
Barrow-in-Furness ‡ Conservative Labour gain
Basildon ‡ No overall control No overall control hold Details
Bassetlaw ‡ No overall control Labour gain
Beaconsfield Conservative Conservative hold
Berwick-upon-Tweed Independent Independent hold
Beverley ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Blaby Conservative Conservative hold
Blackburn ‡ No overall control No overall control hold
Blackpool Conservative Conservative hold
Blyth Valley ‡ No overall control Labour gain
Bolsover ‡ Labour Labour hold
Boothferry Independent Conservative gain
Boston ‡ No overall control No overall control hold
Bournemouth ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Bracknell ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Braintree ‡ Conservative No overall control gain
Breckland ‡ No overall control Conservative gain
Bridgnorth ‡ Independent Independent hold
Brighton Conservative Conservative hold
Bristol Labour Labour hold Details
Broadland ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Bromsgrove ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Broxtowe Conservative Conservative hold
Canterbury ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Caradon Independent Independent hold
Carlisle No overall control Labour gain
Carrick ‡ Independent Conservative gain
Castle Morpeth No overall control No overall control hold
Castle Point ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Charnwood Conservative Conservative hold
Chelmsford Conservative Conservative hold
Cheltenham Conservative No overall control gain
Cherwell ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Chester ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Chesterfield ‡ Labour Labour hold
Chester-le-Street ‡ Labour Labour hold
Chichester ‡ Conservative Conservative hold Details
Chiltern Conservative Conservative hold
Christchurch ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Cleethorpes ‡ No overall control No overall control hold
Copeland ‡ No overall control Labour gain
Corby Conservative Labour gain Details
Cotswold ‡ Independent Independent hold
Craven ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Crawley ‡ Labour Labour hold
Crewe and Nantwich ‡ No overall control No overall control hold
Dacorum ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Darlington ‡ Conservative Labour gain
Dartford Labour Labour hold
Daventry ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Derby ‡ Conservative Labour gain Details
Derwentside ‡ Labour Labour hold
Dover ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Durham ‡ Labour No overall control gain
Easington ‡ Labour Labour hold
East Cambridgeshire Independent Independent hold
East Devon ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
East Hampshire ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
East Hertfordshire ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
East Lindsey Independent Independent hold
East Northamptonshire ‡ Conservative Conservative hold Details
East Staffordshire ‡ Conservative No overall control gain
Eden ‡ Independent Independent hold
Epping Forest ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Epsom and Ewell Independent Independent hold
Erewash ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Exeter Conservative Conservative hold
Fenland Conservative Conservative hold Details
Forest Heath ‡ No overall control Conservative gain
Forest of Dean No overall control No overall control hold
Fylde Conservative Conservative hold
Gedling Conservative Conservative hold
Gillingham ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Glanford ‡ Independent Conservative gain
Gloucester ‡ Conservative Conservative hold Details
Gosport ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Gravesham ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Great Yarmouth Conservative Conservative hold
Grimsby ‡ Conservative Labour gain
Guildford Conservative Conservative hold Details
Hambleton ‡ Independent Independent hold
Harborough Conservative Conservative hold
Hart Independent Conservative gain
Hartlepool No overall control Labour gain
Hastings ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Hereford ‡ No overall control No overall control hold
High Peak ‡ Conservative No overall control gain Details
Hinckley and Bosworth Conservative Conservative hold
Holderness Independent Independent hold
Horsham ‡ Conservative Conservative hold Details
Hove ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Hyndburn ‡ Conservative Conservative hold Details
Ipswich ‡ Conservative Labour gain Details
Kennet Independent Independent hold
Kerrier ‡ Independent No overall control gain
Kettering ‡ No overall control No overall control hold
Kingston upon Hull Labour Labour hold
Kingswood No overall control No overall control hold
Lancaster ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Langbaurgh Conservative Labour gain Details
Leicester Conservative Labour gain
Leominster ‡ Independent Independent hold
Lewes Conservative Conservative hold
Lichfield ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Lincoln ‡ Democratic Labour Conservative gain Details
Luton Conservative Conservative hold
Macclesfield ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Maidstone ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Maldon ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Malvern Hills ‡ Independent Independent hold
Mansfield ‡ Labour Labour hold
Medina ‡ No overall control Liberal gain
Medway ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Melton ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Mendip ‡ No overall control Independent gain
Mid Bedfordshire ‡ Conservative Conservative hold Details
Mid Devon ‡ Independent Independent hold
Mid Suffolk ‡ No overall control No overall control hold
Mid Sussex No overall control Conservative gain
Middlesbrough ‡ Labour Labour hold
New Forest Conservative Conservative hold
Newark and Sherwood ‡ Conservative No overall control gain
Newbury Conservative Conservative hold
Newcastle-under-Lyme ‡ No overall control Labour gain
North Bedfordshire Conservative Conservative hold
North Cornwall ‡ Independent Independent hold
North Devon Independent Independent hold
North Dorset Independent Independent hold
North East Derbyshire ‡ No overall control Labour gain
North Hertfordshire ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
North Kesteven ‡ Independent Independent hold
North Norfolk ‡ Independent Independent hold
North Shropshire Independent Independent hold
North Warwickshire ‡ No overall control Labour gain
North West Leicestershire No overall control Labour gain
North Wiltshire Conservative Conservative hold
North Wolds Independent Conservative gain
Northampton ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Northavon Conservative Conservative hold
Norwich ‡ Labour Labour hold
Nottingham Conservative Labour gain
Nuneaton ‡ Labour Labour hold
Oadby and Wigston ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Oswestry Independent Independent hold
Oxford ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Penwith ‡ Independent Independent hold Details
Plymouth ‡ Conservative Conservative hold Details
Poole Conservative Conservative hold
Portsmouth Conservative Conservative hold
Purbeck ‡ Independent Independent hold
Reading No overall control No overall control hold
Redditch Conservative Conservative hold
Reigate and Banstead ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Restormel Independent Independent hold
Ribble Valley Conservative Conservative hold
Richmondshire ‡ Independent Independent hold
Rother Independent No overall control gain
Rugby ‡ Conservative No overall control gain
Rushcliffe Conservative Conservative hold
Rushmoor ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Rutland ‡ Independent Independent hold
Ryedale Independent Independent hold
Salisbury No overall control No overall control hold
Scarborough ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Scunthorpe ‡ Labour Labour hold
Sedgefield Labour Labour hold
Sedgemoor ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Selby ‡ No overall control Conservative gain
Sevenoaks ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Shepway ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Slough Conservative Conservative hold
South Derbyshire ‡ No overall control No overall control hold
South Hams ‡ Independent Independent hold
South Herefordshire ‡ Independent Independent hold
South Holland ‡ Independent Independent hold
South Kesteven ‡ No overall control Conservative gain
South Lakeland ‡ Independent No overall control gain
South Norfolk ‡ No overall control Conservative gain
South Northamptonshire No overall control Conservative gain
South Oxfordshire Conservative Conservative hold
South Ribble Conservative Conservative hold
South Shropshire Independent Independent hold
South Staffordshire ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
South Wight ‡ Independent Independent hold
Southampton ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Spelthorne ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
St Albans ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
St Edmundsbury ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Stafford ‡ No overall control No overall control hold
Staffordshire Moorlands No overall control No overall control hold
Stevenage ‡ Labour Labour hold Details
Stockton-on-Tees ‡ Conservative Labour gain
Stoke-on-Trent ‡ Labour Labour hold
Stratford-on-Avon ‡ No overall control Conservative gain
Stroud Conservative Conservative hold
Suffolk Coastal Conservative Conservative hold
Surrey Heath Conservative Conservative hold
Swale ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Taunton Deane ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Teesdale Independent Independent hold
Teignbridge ‡ Independent Independent hold
Tendring Conservative Conservative hold
Test Valley No overall control Conservative gain
Tewkesbury Independent Independent hold
Thanet ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
The Wrekin ‡ Labour Labour hold
Thurrock ‡ Labour No overall control gain
Tonbridge and Malling ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Torbay Conservative Conservative hold
Torridge ‡ Independent Independent hold
Tynedale Independent No overall control gain
Uttlesford Conservative Conservative hold
Vale of White Horse ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Vale Royal No overall control No overall control hold
Wansbeck Labour Labour hold
Wansdyke Conservative Conservative hold
Warrington ‡ Conservative No overall control gain
Warwick Conservative Conservative hold
Waveney Conservative Conservative hold
Waverley Conservative Conservative hold
Wealden Conservative Conservative hold
Wear Valley No overall control Labour gain
Wellingborough Conservative Conservative hold
West Derbyshire ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
West Devon ‡ Independent Independent hold
West Dorset Independent Independent hold Details
West Lindsey ‡ Independent No overall control gain
West Norfolk Conservative Conservative hold
West Oxfordshire ‡ No overall control No overall control hold
West Somerset ‡ Independent Independent hold
West Wiltshire No overall control Conservative gain
Weymouth and Portland ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Wimborne Conservative Conservative hold
Windsor and Maidenhead Conservative Conservative hold
Wokingham ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Woodspring ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Worcester ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Worthing Conservative Conservative hold
Wychavon ‡ Independent Independent hold
Wycombe Conservative Conservative hold
Wyre ‡ Conservative Conservative hold
Wyre Forest ‡ Conservative No overall control gain
Yeovil Conservative No overall control gain
York ‡ Conservative Conservative hold

‡ New ward boundaries

Third of council[]

In 44 districts one third of the council was up for election.

Council Previous control Result Details
Basingstoke and Deane Conservative Conservative hold
Bath Conservative Conservative hold Details
Brentwood Conservative Conservative hold
Broxbourne Conservative Conservative hold Details
Burnley Labour Labour hold
Cambridge Conservative No overall control gain
Cannock Chase Labour Labour hold
Chorley Conservative Conservative hold
Colchester Conservative Conservative hold Details
Congleton Conservative Conservative hold
Eastbourne Conservative Conservative hold
Eastleigh Conservative Conservative hold
Ellesmere Port and Neston Labour Labour hold
Elmbridge Conservative Conservative hold
Fareham Conservative Conservative hold
Halton Labour Labour hold
Harlow Labour Labour hold Details
Harrogate Conservative Conservative hold
Havant Conservative Conservative hold
Hertsmere Conservative Conservative hold
Huntingdon Conservative Conservative hold
Milton Keynes Conservative Conservative hold
Mole Valley No overall control No overall control hold
Pendle Conservative No overall control gain
Peterborough No overall control No overall control hold
Preston Conservative Conservative hold
Rochford Conservative Conservative hold
Rossendale Conservative Conservative hold
Runnymede Conservative Conservative hold
Shrewsbury and Atcham Conservative Conservative hold
South Bedfordshire Conservative Conservative hold
South Cambridgeshire Independent Independent hold
Southend-on-Sea Conservative Conservative hold
Tamworth Conservative Conservative hold
Tandridge Conservative Conservative hold
Thamesdown Labour Labour hold
Three Rivers Conservative Conservative hold
Tunbridge Wells Conservative Conservative hold
Watford Labour Labour hold
Welwyn Hatfield Conservative Labour gain
West Lancashire Conservative Conservative hold
Winchester No overall control Conservative gain
Woking Conservative Conservative hold

Wales[]

District councils[]

Council Previous control Result Details
Aberconwy Independent Independent hold
Afan Independent Labour gain
Alyn and Deeside No overall control No overall control hold
Anglesey - Ynys Môn Independent Independent hold
Arfon Independent No overall control gain
Blaenau Gwent Labour Labour hold
Brecknock Independent Independent hold
Cardiff Conservative Labour gain Details
Carmarthen Independent Independent hold Details
Ceredigion Independent Independent hold Details
Colwyn No overall control No overall control hold
Cynon Valley Labour Labour hold
Delyn Independent No overall control gain
Dinefwr Independent Independent hold Details
Dwyfor Independent Independent hold
Glyndŵr Independent Independent hold
Islwyn No overall control Labour gain
Llanelli Labour Labour hold Details
Lliw Valley Labour Labour hold
Meirionnydd Independent Independent hold
Merthyr Tydfil Plaid Cymru Labour gain
Monmouth Conservative Conservative hold
Montgomery Independent Independent hold
Neath Labour Labour hold
Newport Conservative Labour gain
Ogwr No overall control No overall control hold
Preseli Independent Independent hold Details
Radnor Independent Independent hold
Rhondda Labour Labour hold
Rhuddlan Independent Independent hold
Rhymney Valley No overall control Labour gain
South Pembrokeshire Independent Independent hold Details
Swansea Independent Labour gain
Taff-Ely No overall control Labour gain
Torfaen Labour Labour hold
Vale of Glamorgan Conservative Conservative hold
Wrexham Maelor No overall control No overall control hold

References[]

  1. ^ Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael. Local Elections Handbook 1979. The Elections Centre. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  2. ^ "Council compositions". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
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